Grunkle?
by Flutes Armada
Summary: Set directly after the last scene of "Not What He Seems" Stan explains some things to Dipper and Mabel. One shot


Grunkle?

Set directly after the final scene of "Not What He Seems"

Stan explains some things to Dipper and Mabel, One shot.

With Soos fainted on the floor, the twins stared, stricken blank at this new family member. It felt just like it did when they had hit the floor after the gravity failure just mere seconds ago.

"Kids…" Grunkle Stan called. He was getting up from the floor and they could hear the gravel falling from his clothes. He took of his fez and dusted it, and straightened out its shape. The twins turned to face him.

"Grunkle Stan, What is going on!?" Dipper yelled angrily, waving his arms.

"Dipper…." Mabel whispered gently, putting her hand on her little brother's shoulder.

"Alright kids, it's time for explaining." Grunkle Stan began quietly.

"And you…." He pointed at the newcomer, his own replica, save for a few facial differences.

"Just let me have this. I know these kids, and I love them. They've gotta hear it from me."

The familiar stranger stared at Grunkle Stan silently for a second, before he nodded his head.

Grunkle Stan moved closer to Dipper and Mabel, but stopped to stand still rather far away. At least, it was noticeably far for a Grunkle to be speaking to his niece and nephew.

"First of all…" Stan sad slowly, looking at the ground. "I'm….I'm _not_ your Grunkle." With that he snapped his head up, looking at them with pleading eyes. Dipper and Mabel gasped, even recoiling slightly. Soos raised his head of the ground. "Gasp dog, that's a pretty big reveal." Then he let his head drop again. No one was sure if he fainted again or if he simply wanted to remain lying on the floor.

"Grunkle Stan…" Mabel said sadly. Dipper glanced at her for continuing to use that title.

"Who are you?!" Dipper yelled. "How could you do this to us? And all summer!"

"Dipper!" Mabel raised her voice for the first time. "Just calm down-"

"Mabel!" Dipper whipped around and put his face very close to her own. "He's been lying this whole time! And to still call him Grunkle!" Dipper rolled his eyes during the last part.

"Dipper! Let me speak." Mabel looked at him with those same pleasing eyes their "Grunkle" had used. Looking into the caring eyes of his twins sister had Dipper silent.

Mabel took Dipper's hand in her own. "Dipper, I _get_ you're upset. I am too, but _look_." Mabel took his chin in her hand and turned his face towards the author.

"He's _family_."

Finally, the every weight of what had just happened fell over them. A family member had been recovered. A new addition to their family has appeared. The fact that this wasn't about Stan lying and cheating, about covering illegal acts, or any of it. This was about _family_. It had been from the start.

All of Dipper's anger evaporated into the air around them. The heavy feeling in his chest disappeared. He stood up straight and Mabel let go of him. Without a word, they both turned towards Stand again.

"Kid's, I'm not your Great Uncle Stan…..I'm…well, I'm actually your Grand Father, Stanley."

"But that's…." Dipper whispered.

"I know. Your real name."

"But I…. I was named after our grandfather who went _missing." _Dipper began to shake.

"Does that mean…that if….I might have…"

"It's scary." The author spoke up for the first time.

"To think that, if just one detail was different, it could have changed your own identity."

Stan pointed at his own brother.

"That is the real Stanford Pines, he's your Gunkle."

Tears began to form in Dipper's eyes. He dipped his head and began to rub his eyes.

"But why…,"he choked out.

"Why couldn't you just _tell _us? If we had known….Why'd you have to lie so much!?" He practically shrieked.

Stan was silent for a moment.

"Kid, the answer's right in front of you and you know."

Dipper looked up, his sobbing halted.

Stan looked at him with the most profound expression he'd ever seen.

"A twins love."

That one phrase rang loud and clear for the four of them, two sets of twins. The love of a twin was unlike any other kind of love out there. So different, and so _isolated_, only another set of twins could understand. Being together since you were born, growing up side by side. The experience of having and being a twin was truly its own anomaly.

"Dipper," Mabel said. "If I had been sucked into that portal, you would've done the same thing, and you _know_ it. You'd go to ends of the earth, you'd do whatever it takes. And Vis versa. I would have never stopped trying to get you back."

Dipper smiled at his twin sister, a loving, genuine smile.

"Mabel you're right. I was so upset about feeling betrayed, that I missed the important picture. As a twin brother myself, I should have understood a lot sooner."

"And as the little brother too, no doubt." Stan said. They looked to see Stan crossing over to stand in front of his brother. Dipper and Mabel smiled at the small remark. Finally, after so long, the simple act of looking at your twin face to face had finally been given back to them.

"You've done good Stanly."

"Ya ain't so bad yourself."

They gripped hands like a dramatic handshake, and pulled each other in for a well-deserved hug.

Soos appeared behind Mabel and Dipper and said "Man dogs, when I first woke up and saw Mr. Pines hugging himself, I was like totally confused. But then I remembered: The Stan having a brother thing? Yeah, that was still a thing."

Mabel, Dipper and Soos, just looked at each other before breaking out into laughter. It wasn't long before another set of twins joined their chorus.


End file.
